Firework
by axelkairi
Summary: Everyone had gone back to their lives after Ultimecia's defeat. Everyone but Seifer. He just wanted to forget... Stuck with no memories in the middle of the ocean with a dragon, help can come from anywhere... Selpher, Sqinoa, IrvineXSelphie.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII.**

A/N: I got the idea for this story after reading Flower Garden by Rawr it's Kizami, and playing Final Fantasy VIII all day. Thanks to both of them =) Well! I'm going to write this and see where it goes. If it gets reviews, woot! If not, I'll probz abandon it, but we'll see =) Hope you like!

Song used: Firework – Katy Perry

**Firework**

**Chapter One**

"_Do you know that there's still a chance for you?_

'_Cause there's a spark in you_

_You just gotta ignite the light_

_And let it shine_

_Just own the night_

_Like the Fourth of July_

'_Cause baby, you're a firework_

_Come on, show 'em what you're worth_

_Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"_

_As you shoot across the sky-y-y!"_

-Seifer-

"Mr. Almasy!"

"Enh?" My head shot up from in between my folded arms on my desk, and I worked on blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

Instructor Xing crossed his arms and sent me one of those typical teacher glares. Please, I'd already seen it before. "I'm tired of this," he spoke. "See me after class, Seifer. This is the last time you sleep in my class."

I blew out my breath and rolled my eyes, sending him a lazy salute. I didn't bother to watch his reaction; I knew him too well to know that he was shaking his head and turning back to his board to continue his extremely unimportant lecture about who-gives-a-shit what.

It's not like any of this shit mattered, anyway. I was only there to retake a few classes before the next SeeD exam. Hah, the next SeeD exam. I would've laughed out loud at the thought had I not been so bitter. How many times would it be now? Shit, it didn't even matter. I wasn't gonna pass, and I knew it. They'd give me some dumb order and I'd come up with a better plan, and then they'd punish me for saving the day with my forward thinking. Riiiight. Jeez, sometimes this place just pissed me off. Keh, sometimes? Make that all the time.

But what else did I have? No more Sorceress – except Rinoa, of course, and I didn't want to get myself tangled up in that mess again. No more "romantic dream." No family, and only Fujin and Raijin for friends. Squall and his little gang pretended to be cool with me, but that was a blatant lie if there ever was one. They didn't trust me any more than… well, than they'd ever trusted me.

The little ding-ding-ding-ding of the bell pushed through my thoughts, and I waited until the other students left the room before walking over to the Instructor's desk. "So, what's it gonna be?" I asked, looking down at the guy now that he was sitting.

He swiveled his chair toward me and met my eyes. I didn't like what I saw there, like he thought he was better than me or something. Dick. "I don't know how else to deal with you, Seifer," he said. What a great way to start off. He turned back to his desk and grabbed a post-it, scribbling on it with a pen. "You'll be serving community service in the Quad on Thursdays –"

"What?" I interrupted, his words sinking in. "Community– Are you shitting me?"

Instructor Xing gripped his pen and shot a glare at me. "Watch your mouth, Almasy. I'm only giving you a month; I can make it longer."

Words boiled at the tip of my tongue, words that would make his whole family cringe, but I shut my mouth, clenching my teeth to hold them inside. "Fine."

With a final period from his pen, Instructor Xing handed me the post-it. "Give that to the President of the Garden Festival Committee. She'll tell you what to do."

I snatched it from his hands and started to read it, but his handwriting was too scrawly. "Sounds like a party," I sneered, turning to leave.

"And Seifer?" Damn it, couldn't he just shut up? "Today's Thursday."

_Greeeaaat, _I thought, frowning. And even better was who the President of the Garden Festival Committee was.

Selphie Tilmitt.

She was swinging her feet through the air, sitting on the stage that still had a few sizeable holes in it when I got there. She blinked when she saw me, then smiled and waved overenthusiastically. "Hey, Seifer!"

I winced at her voice. Too high, practically shrill. Engh. "Don't think I'm here for a visit," I said quickly, handing her the note.

"Hm? What's this?"

"My condemnation."

Her brow raised and she read it, her features scrunching as she deciphered the handwriting. "Um… what's this word?" she asked, pointing at it.

"How the hell should I know?" I yelled, throwing my arms up in frustration. "Listen, it just says that I have to do community service here for a month. So, put me to work, alright? I don't wanna sit around here doing nothing."

Selphie's expression was surprised to say the least, but then a huge smile broke out on her face. "So, you're helping out with the Festival?"

I rolled my eyes. Jeez, she was thick. "Yeah, looks like. But not 'cause I want to, got it?"

Still smiling, she pushed herself off of the stage to land in front of me. "Well, as long as you're helping, right?"

I crossed my arms and looked away. "Sure."

"Hm…" She tapped her foot as if in thought. "Well, I don't think I really have much for you to do today… I guess you could just clean the place up a bit. You know, throw trash away and such. That'd be great!"

Throw away trash? Damn, how could an afternoon get any better than that? I opened my mouth to say something smart, but I was too tired to even make the effort. "I'll be done in an hour," was all I said, and took off down the stairs.

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

I couldn't help but frown as Seifer stalked away in his typical 'Seifer' walk of his. How to describe Seifer's walk? Shoulders back and squared, chest out like he was being tugged forward on a string, head tilted up so the world saw not his eyes, but his strong chin. But lately… His head was down, his shoulders curved in toward the rest of his body, and the string had moved to attach to his forehead, as if he was trying to follow his thoughts on some path that was painful to walk on. At least, that's the impression I always got from the look in his eyes: like his shoes were full of shards of glass and he just kept walking, for whatever reason.

I could remember a time when he would've chewed out his Instructor on this community service deal. When he would've called me a name and told me to shove my trash. But since Ultimecia had been killed, he'd been different. He was quiet and submissive, a far cry from the proud, arrogant, loud force of will he used to be.

What had happened to him? We'd all moved on from what had happened; even Rinoa was learning about her powers and figuring out how to control them while in the Sorceress state. But had Seifer?

OoOoOoOoO

-Seifer-

Some service that was. Who was I servicing anyway, besides Selphie? It's not like anyone ever went to those Festivals – no one worth it, that is. When I was done, I was thankful not to run into Queen Booyaka on the way back to the dorms. She'd try to talk to me, try to pry her way inside my head.

No one got inside my head. Not Fujin, not Raijin… not even me, most of the time. It wasn't too nice of a place to be. A little sunflower like her would get crushed in there.

I took the long way around from the Quad, circling around the central elevator. I was a little surprised by how late it was – I'd missed dinner, and most everyone was back in the dorms or in the library for a cram session. I could probably still grab a hot dog from the cafeteria, but I passed on the idea.

Past the Training Area, past the Parking Garage… And then I stopped. The dorms loomed before me, masked in shadows, like some ominous cave. If I went in there, I'd shower, change, and go to sleep, just to wake up and keep stepping into this rut of every day, making it deeper with every step. It'd been the same for years now: taking remedial classes to pass the SeeD exam, and never passing. Stuck here for years.

Not anymore.

"Heh," I laughed bitterly, leaning against the wall, next to the Parking Garage sign. "Brings back memories."

'Not anymore.' That's what I was thinking when I went with Ultimecia. 'Not anymore' to the SeeD exam, to those little rats in the Garden like Chicken-wuss and Puberty Boy. I was finally gonna quit surviving and start living – start living my dream.

But that dream was just a lie. Ultimecia used me and was ready to throw me away once she had what she wanted. I just wanted to prove myself, show my Sorceress that she could rely on me, that she could be proud to have me as her Knight.

Like a child trying to please its parents. Like a puppy trying to please its master. I guess I was the last one to grow up out of all of us orphans after all.

But this was different. I wasn't going out to please anyone now. It's not like anyone was worth it.

I knew why I was leaving, and it was for no other reason than myself. I wanted… to forget. Just blank my mind of all traces of the past, of all the wrong I'd done and the embarrassment of failure. Constant, constant failure.

And I knew just who to turn to.

OoOoOoOoO

-Seifer-

Hotwiring cars is easier than it sounds. Just cut a few wires and put them back together, and suddenly, _vroom!_ You've got your wheels.

I didn't notice if anyone saw me leave in a stolen Garden vehicle and speed down the road into Balamb. Who cared? What would they do about it? They'd probably just think, _There goes Seifer. Again._

So getting cars is easy. Boats, on the other hand, are a different matter entirely.

Here's what you do: you find somebody who owns a boat. If they're a girl, you charm them. If they're a guy, you shove them between the armored cars in the harbor, taking care not to kick the snoring journalist on your left, and hold them off the ground with a glare until they agree to hand over the keys. Easy, but more time-consuming.

It was a little Shrinky-Dink boat, but it had a motor and a roof and GPS, and that's all I needed. Better than a big one; they're too conspicuous.

Let's see… Can't really program a GPS to set a course for a place that doesn't really 'exist,' can you? Shit, I'd have to do this manually.

Heaving a sigh, I sat in the captain's chair and grabbed the controls, pressing buttons here and there and keeping my eye out for anyone who saw me. No one so far. Good.

I pulled out of the harbor, turned into the ocean, and was on my way. Only a day's drive to the Deep Sea Research Center.

OoOoOoOoO

-Seifer-

Sailing is boring when you've got the wind in your hair and a big mast overheard. It's _excruciatingly_ boring when you're inside a hull with nothing to do but watch your position on your GPS slowly shift down, down, down. And no radio, either. Man, maybe I should've got a better boat after all…

Hours passed, and passed, and kept on going, a series of dings dinging at me whenever the clock struck an hour. Eight o'clock heralded eight dings, and finally I caught sight of land in front of me.

My eyes narrowed. This was it. No going back now.

Luckily, it had a dock, and I left my boat there. If all went well, I'd be returning for it without a clue where I was. If it didn't… well, that guy in Balamb will be missing his boat for a long, long time.

The boards of wood were bleached by sun and weathered by rain, cringing under my footsteps. A few broke underneath me, but I kept going. Nothing was stopping me this time.

After following the path, I was confronted with a doorway to a big domed structure. I looked around – there was nowhere else to go. _This must be it._

I pushed through vines and entered, raising my hand at the blue light that blinded me. It dimmed in a few seconds, revealing its source: a cylinder in the center of the room overgrown with vegetation. It would glow blue, then dim, then glow again after maybe two seconds.

A voice rang in my head, low and gravely: _"The blue light leads all to death. Turn back…"_

I furrowed my brow. Weird. Holding my hand in front of my eyes to block the light, I stepped into the room.

And was immediately attacked by a fiend. I could hardly see what it looked like; the blue light distorted it and made it look like a demon. I slashed at it, dodging its claws but it got a few good hits in before I cut off its head – or, at least, I was pretty sure it was its head.

I took a moment to catch my breath. That was unexpected. What the hell kind of place was this?

_What did you expect from the house of Bahamut?_ I chastised myself. _He did warn you, after all._ Yeah, that voice must've been Bahamut. Probably one of those crazy GFs that likes to test people. I mean, what else must they do for fun, trapped in the places they were. Like Odin, in the Centra Continent; he didn't even fight. He probably just wanted to get the hell out!

My eyes blinded by the stupid blue light again – what the hell was with that thing, anyway? – I took another step.

And another fiend jumped out at me, snarling like a maniac. I wasn't able to react quick enough before it bit me in the arm. The blue light was still flaring, and I could actually get a good look at this one: it had a skull for a head and some sort of pink fleshy body like a snake with arms. I grabbed it and tore it off of me, crying out as its teeth tore my muscle. I threw it to the ground and stabbed it through the head and it uttered a scream like a mushroom as it died.

That stopped me. Scream like a mushroom? I shook my head. I wasn't even hurt too bad and already I was thinking delusional.

Alright… what was with these fiends? Was I not allowed to move or something in this place? _That's stupid,_ I thought. _How would anyone get the GF if they couldn't move?_

The light finally died down, and I breathed deep and took another step, brandishing my sword and waiting for the next attack.

But it didn't come.

I looked around. Nothing. What the hell?

Ugh, that stupid light again. I covered my eyes and shrugged. Maybe the fiends had quieted down? Heh, maybe I scared 'em off.

I took another step.

This time, there was a few screeches to let me know they were coming. I caught one of them before it could strike, another skull-mushroom. Another looked like some sort of mix between a dog and a dragon, and then another skull-mushroom. The dog-dragon hit me in the side with his thick tail, knocking the air out my lungs, and the skull-mushroom took advantage, snapping at my ankles like a tiny dog. I fell, kicking wildly at the fiend attacking my legs and slashing at the dog-dragon, trying to keep it at bay until I could deal with it.

"Gah! Get…. _off!_" I roared, slamming my heel into the skull-mushroom's face and sending it flying. Jumping up to my feet, though wincing at the pain in my ankle, I lunged for the dog-dragon and cut deep into its neck, the blood splattering into my face that smelled like sweaty gym socks. I wrinkled my nose and turned, bending backwards to avoid the chattering teeth coming for my face, and spun around to punch the skull-mushroom to the ground and stab it through. It screamed like the other one did, and you know, if mushrooms _could_ scream, it would probably sound like that.

My breath was heavy, my chest heaving and my heart pounding. Body tense, I forced myself to relax, but made sure to keep my feet in the same place. The blade of Hyperion hit the ground with a clash, and I closed my eyes for a moment, leaning on my left leg to dull the pain in my ankle.

These fiends… I could handle them easily, but not knowing when they'd show up, and how ruthless they were… If I had to keep fighting them, this could get ugly fast.

The light, which has dimmed, turned back on. I glared at it; what was the purpose of that thing, anyway?

_The blue light leads all to death… _I remembered. _Wait a sec…_ Watching the light closely, I waited, hardly moving until it dimmed again. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward. No fiends. Another step, and still nothing.

_That's it!_ I halted when the light turned on again, but allowed my lips to curl in a smile. I couldn't walk when the light was on, or the fiends would attack me. I could only get a few steps in when it was dark, but hey, better than more skull-mushrooms. After all, I wasn't leaving, not until I got Bahamut, or died. I couldn't live like this anymore.

Time went on, the light brightening and dimming in an almost rhythmic way, until finally I reached the cylindrical core. I felt a buzzing in my head that made me cringe, and then heard that same deep voice from before: _"So you wish to challenge me…"_

Challenge him? Well, the whole reason I came up here was to get him to wipe my memory, the way GFs did over time. But if I could get out of the fight… "I do not wish to fight," I grumbled, hoping he'd give me brownie points for being honest.

A roar behind me shot down those hopes. The blue light had dimmed to a more constant glow, giving illumination to the room while not blinding me in the process. Turning around revealed a Ruby Dragon, the kind the Knight fought in The Sorceress' Knight. A while ago, I might've been thrilled at the thought of fighting one, like my idol – heck, I'd even copied his fighting stance. But now, it was just a pain. I should've thought to bring some potions or something with me. Damn.

The dragon was tough, I can tell you that. I felt like some sort of ninja with all the dodging I was doing, all leaping and ducking and stepping off walls. It didn't attack physically too much, just Fira and Aero all over the place. I hated spells, always had, but at least these were easy to deal with. The only one that I could relate to was fire, and I knew how to handle it when it actually did hit me.

The fatigue was getting to me, the blood loss making my reactions slow. It didn't affect my head too much, but sometimes I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the dragon stumbled and I got in a slice to its thick neck, and with a huge _thump_ it slammed to the ground, dead.

I just barely stopped myself from dropping to my knees, hunching over and breathing hard. _Damn… Fuck, what have I gotten myself into?_

The deep voice chuckled, and I ground my teeth. Laughing at me, huh? _"Begging me for mercy?"_ he asked, the condescension dripping from his words.

I growled a curse through my teeth and stood tall to face the cylinder, where he was surely hiding. "Not on your life!"

That didn't make him happy. He sent another Ruby Dragon after me, and although I disposed of it much like the first, it took longer, and it was much harder. He got more hits in than the other one now that I was slow, and by the time the fight began to draw to a close, blood was dripping into my left eye from a gash on my forehead, I could hardly stand on my right leg anymore because the ankle wound had started to fester from some sort of acid-like fiend saliva, my coat was hanging onto my body by the threads and my shirt was cut open completely, exposing my bleeding chest. I'd lost one of my shoes and the uneven floor was cutting into the sole of my foot, making it hard to stay standing at all.

The dragon collapsed, and so did I, my shoulder hitting the floor, followed by the rest of my tired body. I rolled onto my back, chest heaving with my raspy breath, blinking furiously to keep my vision. I knew he was standing over me, the Dragon King, Bahamut, watching me as I fought death. "Happy now?" I sneered, looking up at him through the haze. His image kept blurring, making it hard to get a good description on his looks. Enh, dragons all look the same, don't they? "You didn't want to toy with me, not like the others. You wanted to kill me, didn't you?"

Bahamut growled, a fearsome sound. _"Humans bring nothing but destruction to me. You think other beings are your playthings to shift and change how you see fit. You deserve to die."_

"Deserve to die, huh?" I breathed. "Look, I don't know what people have done to you, but… I didn't want to fight you. I meant that. I just… want you help."

If I could've seen more clearly, I would've said that Bahamut raised an eyebrow, or otherwise obtained some expression of curiosity. _"You want _my_ help?"_

I swallowed the blood in my mouth, cringing from the tangy taste. "GFs make humans forget their past when they're junctioned. That's all I want from you. Just please… make me forget." I didn't bother to keep my eyes open anymore. He was probably just looking at me with pity, and I didn't want to see that. "I've done things that I'm not proud of… and I hate it." Unable to stand how pathetic I was any more, I leaned my head to the side, facing away from my judgment. "Kill me or help me; it's up to you now."

I could feel my head getting fuzzier, as if my brain was a foot that was falling asleep, all numb and tingly. I wasn't dying – not yet, at least. But I was falling… Falling down into someplace dark, and cold…

OoOoOoOoO

"_Yoooo! C'mon! Stop it! Matwyn, help!"_

_Chicken-wuss…?_

Yeah, that was him, all right, back when all of us were in that orphanage. Heh, I picked on him back then, too, didn't I?

The memory came to from a cloud of white, melding into colors and smoke. _"CRY-BABY-ZE-ELL!"_ mini-me yelled at the tiny, crying Zell and his budding mohawk. _"NAH-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAH!"_

"_Stop teasing me, Seifer!"_ mini-Zell yelled back, wiping at his tears as I laughed at him.

With a feeling that felt a lot like being flushed down a toilet, the memory faded away and sank into nothing, back to the white cloud.

More colors formed. It was Squall and I, fighting in the Training Area. Yeah, this was when we got our scars. I got him, and he got me back, just like it always was with us. Another flush, and that was gone, too.

Another one; Squall passed his SeeD exam on his first damn try, and I didn't. Again. Him and Chicken-wuss and Queen Booyaka and some other kid I didn't know walked into the hall. Squall's eyes were on me the second he walked in, like he knew what I was thinking.

But he didn't. I was… kinda glad for him. He did his thing and was being rewarded for it. Good for him. I was the first one to clap on his success. I'm still not sure if he noticed, or remembers. Well, I wouldn't, anyway. It flushed down out my mind with the others.

Attacking Vinzer Deling on the first worldwide broadcast in history – gone. Getting tricked into servitude by Ultimecia in Matron's body – gone. Watching the scene fly by on Matron's float in Deling, on the soaring Galbadia Garden, on Lunatic Pandora – gone, gone, gone. Ultimecia's voice in my head, always in my head – never again.

Fishing with Fujin and Raijin, my two true friends, and smiling as the Garden, the only home I'd ever really known, fly by FH and over my head…

Gone.

Who was I? Where was I? How had I gotten there? Why was there a dragon holding me, wrapping its wings around me like I was something to protect?

My name… My name… I couldn't remember…

I had all that I'd wanted. And that was nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII.**

A/N: I hope you guys liked the last chapter! I've got some good ideas for this story, and I hope you guys will stick around with me long enough to see them unfold! It's really interesting to write from Seifer's POV, and I hope I'm doing it right! Well, hope you like!

**Firework**

**Chapter Two**

-Selphie-

It'd been a week since I'd last seen Seifer. It was Thursday again, and Seifer was supposed to be helping out in the Quad, but I'd waited an hour and he was definitely a no-show.

I huffed, swinging my legs that dangled from the stage. What a meanie! Maybe he'd finally bucked up and told his teacher off, or he figured I wouldn't say anything about him not helping out anymore. Well, I probably wouldn't, but it made me wonder… Even if it was something he didn't want to do, Seifer didn't seem like the type to just quit. He was a jerk, but he followed through.

_Hmm…_ Maybe I'd ask around. Surely _someone_ had to know where he was.

I checked in with Squall in the Headmaster's office. Headmaster Cid was still presiding over the Garden, but it was no question who would succeed him. Squall always said that he hated being the leader, but it was what he was good at! There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was perfect for the position, and Rinoa would be able to talk him into it. He could never say no to her.

Squall had nothing to say on the matter. He'd never cared for Seifer, but he did seem slightly concerned with the fact that he was missing. He said he had no idea where he was; maybe in the Training Area. After all, Squall never had time to practice with him, and what else would he do with his spare time?

Then my journey brought me to the Training Area, where I found Zell punching at imaginary enemies, like usual.

"You know," I said as I walked up, "there are real monsters in here. You could try them instead of punching air."

Zell tossed his standard smirk-smile over his shoulder at me. "Already took care of 'em!" he boasted. "Now they're too scared to show their ugly mugs!"

I grinned and rolled my eyes. "I'm so sure." Coming back to more important matters, I asked, "Hey, have you seen Seifer around?"

He seemed confused by the question, and resumed slamming his gloved fists at nothing. "Nawp, and I'm glad. I've been needing a break from that jerk for a long time now."

I sighed. He still hated him, huh? Well, I guess the old feelings die hard, don't they? I mean, heck, I still cringed a little on the inside when I saw Seifer walk by, like I expected him to snap again and go crazy. "Well, any idea where he could be?" I tried.

Zell blew out a breath and stood straight, leaning back to stare at the ceiling and placing his fists on his hips. "Maybe ask Fujin and Raijin? They'd probably know; they never leave his side."

I almost smacked my forehead. Of course! Why hadn't _I_ thought of that? "Right, thanks!" I said, calling over my shoulder as I turned and left.

But Fujin and Raijin had no answers, either.

"We been looking for Seifer for three days, you know?" Raijin said, his face screwed up in concern.

"MISSING," Fujin offered.

"Yeah! He didn't say anything to us, you know? Just left without a word."

I furrowed my brow. He didn't even tell Fujin and Raijin? They were, like, his _only_ friends. Maybe he really _was_ missing, and if so, this was a much bigger deal than it had been five minutes ago.

"SEARCH," Fujin said, her eyes intensely focused on me.

I blinked for a moment, then figured out what she meant. "I've been trying to find him since lunch, and no one knows anything. Maybe we should talk to the Headmaster…?"

"FUTILE."

"Yeah, what would the Headmaster do, you know?" Raijin chimed in. "If Seifer went somewhere, he probably doesn't want to be found, you know?"

"Well, there's gotta be _something_ we can do?" I protested. "What if he's hurt?"

Fujin's brow creased together. "CONFUSION."

"Yeah, why do you care? You're with Squall, you know?"

I pursed my lips. "That doesn't mean I can't worry about a classmate. Besides, he was supposed to help out with the Festival today." This seemed to clear away any more confusion for the two of them.

Stepping forward, Fujin proclaimed, "ASSIST."

"Yeah, we're coming with you. We're worried about Seifer, too, you know?"

I was surprised at first – I'd never spent time with either of them before – but I nodded. They knew him better than I did; it would make it that much easier to guess where he'd gone to.

"Let's go," I said, turning down the 2nd floor hallway and walking toward the elevator.

Raijin and Fujin trailed behind. "WHERE?" Fujin asked.

I could only guess she was talking about our current destination. "We're taking the Ragnarok," I said proudly. It still thrilled me that I could fly that thing.

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Fujin and Raijin were a little weirded out by the Ragnarok, I could tell. They tried to hide it, but I saw the way they looked around with wide eyes, staring out at the passing sky or glancing at the blinking buttons. Fujin didn't seem too freaked by the thought of flying – she did excel in air magic, after all – but Raijin was tapping his foot and drumming his fingers, and was pretty silent. Even though his element was thunder, he reminded me of a boulder, and probably felt more comfortable on the ground.

"Where should we head to?" I asked, calling over my shoulder while still keeping my eyes set forward. "Any ideas?"

Raijin seemed to think – or maybe he was even more uncomfortable than I perceived and just didn't want to speak – so Fujin spoke up. "BALAMB."

"Balamb?" I furrowed my brow. If he was gone for a week, he wouldn't be so close; he could've just come back to the Garden.

"CLUES," she clarified.

Finally, Raijin opened his mouth. "He probably went through Balamb, you know? Maybe someone saw him, you know?"

Once again, nearly smacked myself. I wasn't seeing the obvious! "Right, right," I muttered. "To Balamb, then!"

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Taking the Ragnarok to Balamb was almost unnecessary; it took maybe two seconds, and most of that was lifting off and landing. The town remained unchanged, as always, with the same hotel manager and the same car rental station that, honestly, I hadn't used since acquiring the Ragnarok; the same Junk Shop man and train station and the lady who made you pay for information. Same Ma Dincht, who welcomed us with open arms and warmed up a few slices of pie as we loitered in her house.

The three of us sat down at the kitchen table and let her serve us. "Actually, Mrs. Dincht," I started. 

"Oh, please, I told you to call me Ma!" she reprimanded.

"Sorry. _Ma_, we're here looking for someone. You remember Seifer Almasy?"

She huffed, going into the kitchen to set some dishes in the sink. "That awful boy? Of course I remember him."

"Hey, he's not awful, you know?" Raijin defended, but Fujin raised her arm to calm him.

"Anyway," I continued, looking at them pointedly, "we were wondering if you might've seen him around anywhere? He's missing, you see, and he probably came through Balamb."

Ma put her hands of her hips and pursed her lips in thought. Ultimately, she said, "I can't say I've seen him. I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm sure you'll find him."

I held back a sigh. "Yeah, thanks."

"GRATITUDE," Fujin said, standing up.

Raijin stood right behind her. "Yeah, for the pie, you know?"

Ma grinned and nodded. "Anytime."

We went on our way from there, asking around town, and getting the same results: "Sorry, haven't seen him."

"This is getting nowhere!" I pouted, leaning against one of the armored carriers in the harbor. "How are we supposed to find him like this?"

"There's gotta be something, you know?"

"PERSERVERE."

I sighed. "I know, I know." I thought for a moment. "Well, he couldn't have gotten off of this island without a boat, right? So he must've rented one!"

But Raijin and Fujin looked at me with dubious expressions on their faces.

"What?" I asked.

"UNLIKELY."

"Yeah, Seifer doesn't rent stuff, especially for these crazy prices around here, you know? Probably thought of a better way to get one, you know?"

"You mean… he_ stole_ a boat?"

Raijin laughed, straight from the chest. "That'd be just like Seifer!"

"That's terrible! How do you even steal a boat, anyway?"

"You talkin' about a stolen boat?"

Raijin stopped laughing and looked past me, and I turned to follow his gaze. A man, looking about forty-something, stood a little ways away from us, and walked a few steps our way. "You three know who stole my boat?"

I blinked. "Someone stole your boat?" Perfect!

"Yeah, must be a week ago now." Perfecter! "He shoved me in between those carriers and practically tore the keys from my hands!"

Booyaka! I whipped around to beam at Raijin and Fujin. "That sounds just like him!" Turning back to the man, I asked, "Please, could you tell us which direction he went off in? We might be able to get your boat back for you."

"Well, it's about time someone came to get it back. Yeah, he went off that way, then turned and started goin' south, southwest."

"Thank you so much!" I was already halfway out of the harbor by the time the man had finished with his directions. "We'll be back before you know it! Come on, Fuu, Rai!"

"Hey! Only one who calls us that is Seifer, ya know?"

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

"Southwest, alright," I muttered to myself as I got into the captain's chair of the Ragnarok. "Ready?"

Fujin and Raijin each gave me a nod, and we lifted off, turned on an imaginary heel, and headed southwest across the world.

Across the world… What a cool thing to say! And with the Ragnarok, it was true! Man, I just couldn't get over it!

I mean, how many people can seriously say they've flown an airship? And the Ragnarok was a _space_ship, first and foremost, so it was even cooler! Squall and Rinoa had told me the story of when they found the spaceship – well, mostly Rinoa had been the storyteller – and it had been filled with awful alien monsters called Propogators! They weren't too hard to kill, but you had to kill them in pairs, or else they'd resurrect themselves and you'd have to start all over again! How frustrating must that have been? Rinoa said they did it wrong at least four times before Squall finally figured it out. And in such an emotional time as that, too! When Squall was finally realizing how much he actually cared for Rinoa. They were so cute together… Hopefully, I'd find someone like that one day… Well, I had Irvine, of course, and he was absolutely wonderful, but sometimes he was just –

"SELPHIE!"

"Hey, watch the sky, ya know?"

Their voices brought me out of my thoughts and I let out a sound that seemed to be a cross between a squeak and a scream as I brought the ship above a mountain. We cleared it, but I was still shaken, and took a moment to catch my breath. "Phew," I breathed. "Is everyone okay?"

"FINE."

"Man, just keep your eyes ahead, ya know?"

"Right, sorry, sorry." Let's see… There were mountains and…. Where did the mountains go? It was just… "Ocean. Ocean, ocean, ocean! Where's the land!"

"Where's the land?" Raijin echoed. "You got us _lost_?"

"No!" I snapped back indignantly, but inside I was screaming. "GPS, GPS..." I muttered, pressing the button to bring up the mini-map on the edge of the dash. The little blinking light was in the southwest corner of the map, surrounded by ocean. "Okay, so we're off the shores of the Centra continent, that's fine. We'll just follow the ocean until we get to Trabia, and start off fresh!"

"So we wasted all that time to start again?" Raijin asked in disbelief.

"Oh, please, we didn't even waste, like, two minutes," I argued.

"ISLAND."

"Huh?" I brought my eyes to where Fujin was pointing and, sure enough, a tiny island was visible just off to the right. "Let's check it out."

_Southwest… There's a chance he could be there, right?_

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Landing was simple, courtesy of the huge landing pad someone had put there long ago. Upon leaving the Ragnarok, it was obvious that anything that had been done to this island had been done _loooong_ ago. The place was ancient! Vines were growing everywhere, and the scene was completed by a rickety old rope bridge that I had to tiptoe over, even though Raijin had gone before me to test it.

Our target was the building in the center of the island. Even though it was covered in plants and the walls were worn away here and there, it would be the most logical place someone would go to if they were stuck here. Plus, the Balamb boat in the harbor was a pretty big tip-off. He was here; he had to be.

"What is this place, ya know?" Raijin asked, glancing around as he made his way through the foliage, holding back various branches and leaves to let me and Fujin through.

"Maybe…" I thought for a moment, ducking to avoid a low-lying branch. "Maybe it's one of those mobile research island. I heard one was searching for a huge draw point a long time ago. This could be it."

"POSSIBLE…" Fujin said, but was obviously more focused on finding Seifer than having a history lesson.

The building loomed closer, and so far there hadn't been any fiends to block our path. It made me wonder… Why had Seifer stayed here for so long? No fiends, so he couldn't have been hurt… There had to be a reason.

_Well,_ I thought, standing in front of the door to the building, Raijin and Fujin at my side, _you're about to find out, Miss Tilmitt._

The door was heavy, but Raijin made short work of it, shoving it to the side and letting me go in first. The inside was even more decrepit than the outside – the vines had literally made the place their home, and the bodies of fiends lay here and there, decomposing. Rocks and pebbles dug into the bottom of my boots, and the wall was cracked nearly everywhere. What was holding this place together? Duct tape?

But everything was swept away when my eyes caught sight of him.

Seifer Almasy, the most immortal, unbreakable person I'd ever met, was propped up against the wall on the other side of the room. The left side of his face was covered in dried blood until you couldn't even see his eye anymore, his hair was mussed and dirty, his clothes torn, the white of his shirt and the gray of his trench coat stained red where it actually touched his body. His pants were nearly torn off at his right knee, exposing a grotesque wound on his ankle, and his shirt was practically hanging off of him, his chest entirely a musky red.

I was struck silent and still, mouth agape and breathless. For so long, I was under the irrational belief that Seifer Almasy couldn't bleed. Even though I'd fought him many times, I'd never seen him shed blood, even under Squall's gunblade. And now, this… I could hardly believe what I saw.

"SEIFER!" Fujin yelled, apparently handling the sight better than I was, and started to run toward him, Raijin falling into step behind her.

But a loud sound made them stop and move to cover their ears, practically shaking the entire island. The low, guttural roar stopped my heart, and from the darkness, yellow eyes shone bright, coming forward along with a great, dark blue head and silvery gray horns on either side, white teeth bared.

"_Who are you humans?"_ the dragon growled, stomping across the room one giant clawed hand a time.

The spell finally broken as the dragon's head concealed Seifer's mangled body from view, I ran forward to meet Fujin and Raijin, bringing out my nunchaku. "We're here to take Seifer back!" I declared, gripping my weapon and dropping down into a more stable stance, in case this got ugly. "What have you done to him?"

The dragon seemed to blink, and lashed its tail. _"I? I have done nothing but given Seifer what he wanted."_

"What?" Raijin asked in disbelief. "He couldn't have wanted this, you know? He's…" He stopped short, and I knew what he couldn't bring himself to say: _dead_.

"He's not dead," I reassured him, while keeping my eyes on the dragon. "Who are you? Please, we're friends of Seifer's; we're not here to hurt him."

The dragon hesitated, then brought his eyes to my nunchaku. After a moment, I obediently put them away, and the dragon noticeably relaxed. _"Friends of his, are you? Then surely you would know. Or perhaps not…"_

"Just tell us, you know?" Raijin yelled, brandishing his fists in frustration.

The dragon shot him a glare, but continued. _"I am Bahamut."_

My eyes widened. _Bahamut!_ I thought. _The legendary GF… Wow…_

"_Your friend came to me not to die, but for another reason entirely. His death was only a side effect."_

My heart skipped a beat. "So… you mean he's…" Now that I was confronted with the word, I understood Raijin's dilemma; I couldn't say it, either.

"ALIVE!" Fujin cried, looking like she was fighting back tears.

"_Relax, Seifer is alive, but not for long. He must leave this place."_

"Why haven't you taken him somewhere?" I questioned. "You care for him, don't you? Why couldn't _you_ help him?"

Bahamut was already shaking his massive head. _"I am junctioned to Seifer. I go where he goes. Since he does not leave on his own, I cannot either."_

A tick working in Raijin's jaw, he stepped forward. "Then let us take him, you know? That'll work, right?"

"Yeah, and you can come with us!" I chimed in.

Bahamut mulled this over for a second or two, then nodded. _"Alright. Take us with you, and I will tell you all you want to know."_

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Raijin had picked Seifer up and thrown him over his shoulder, despite my commands to do everything gently. Bahamut followed us into the Ragnarok, and I was thankful for how large the entrance was and how high the ceilings were, especially in the control room. Seifer was placed in a reclined chair with Fujin next to him, and Raijin stayed by Bahamut, still distrustful of the giant dragon, while I flew the airship.

"So," I started, "why did Seifer go to you? What did he want that you could give?"

Bahamut rolled his shoulders, looking out the side windows wistfully. It probably felt strange for someone with wings to be in the air but not flying. _"You are well aware, I assume, of how GFs work when junctioned."_

"Mmhm. They take up residence in the host's brain, and while they take up space, the memories of the host get pushed aside."

"_More or less. Seifer came to me not to abuse my power, but to wipe his mind. And going through his memories and his mind itself, I can understand why."_

I winced, and Bahamut didn't bother explaining; we all already knew. It was just what I had suspected – Seifer couldn't get past the past, and was always running while the rest of us had learned to live with it. All the bad things that he'd done… it must've haunted him for so long.

_Seifer… If you were suffering, you could've just told somebody._ But that wasn't like him, was it? Seifer took care of Seifer's problems, end of story. Asking someone for help would just be desperate.

So to ask Bahamut for help… He really _must've_ been desperate, huh?

"_You understand, little one, don't you?"_

I nodded. "Yes."

"Hey…" Raijin rubbed the back of his neck, drawing Bahamut's attention. "Thanks for taking care of Seifer, you know? I mean, without you, he probably would've…" Died? Killed himself? Who knew? But at least now, he was alive.

"_What else would I have done?"_ Bahamut replied matter-of-factly. _"He is quite an interesting human. Strong, willful, honest… His story is intriguing. He is an admirable host."_

I was quiet as I listened to his words. I'd never really thought much about Seifer as a person, mostly just an enemy or a classmate, but the way Bahamut described him. It was true. He'd done bad things, but his character wasn't all bad. Maybe he wasn't as shallow as I'd always thought he was.

"WAKING," Fujin said, beckoning Raijin closer, and Bahamut strained his long neck toward Seifer, who was furrowing his brow and blinking his eyes open.

I let out a sigh. _Here goes,_ I thought. Seifer with no memories… What could that be like?

Well, we were about to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII.**

A/N: I hope you guys liked the last chapter, and the tiny little cliffie I threw at you! I can already tell that this chapter will be a little tough, since I have to make Seifer "Seifer" but without his memories… Hm… Well, it'll all work out =) Anyway, here goes! Hope you like!

**Firework**

**Chapter Three**

-Seifer-

Before I opened my eyes, a million sensations hit me at once. My muscles ached, my bones creaked, my head pounded like a heavy metal band's drums. There was a ringing in my ears, and the light from outside stabbed itself into my eyelids, blinding me even though my eyes were closed. Voices were around me, floating through my head, the pitches wavering until they found themselves.

"WAKING," someone said, their voice feminine but low, and forceful.

I groaned, letting my head roll to the side and feeling my neck tense with every motion. I felt like a rusted machine. What was happening…?

Make a list, something said. Before I knew why, I was listing everything I knew. Habit? Did I even have habits? What did I have?

List, list. Um… My body hurt everywhere. A humming sound was around me, and there was at least one person close by, but it felt like more. I was cold. I didn't know where I was, or if I had habits, but I did have habits.

I didn't know my name.

My eyes shot open, and it was like seeing the world for the first time – maybe it was the first time? A girl with gray hair was next to me, and a huge dark-skinned guy was behind her, and – a dragon? What the hell was a dragon doing…? Were we in the air? How were we not falling? I was standing on something, but we were in the air, and there was some girl in yellow not even looking at me, but watching the clouds pass by at a speed that I couldn't even fathom.

I opened my mouth but I didn't know why, and my throat constricted in the weirdest way, and my body tensed up and I was standing, but _damn!_ My ankle hurt so _bad_, and my knees buckled and I fell; the ground was hard and metal and cold, and I moved away from those people that I didn't even know, and things were getting blurry, and the inside of my throat kept twitching like something was supposed to be happening but it wasn't.

"SEIFER!" the gray haired girl yelled and she started moving toward me. I pushed myself along the floor with my sore arms, muscles protesting all the way, trying to get away from her. Who was she? What did she want?

"Seifer, man, calm down, you know?" the big guy put a hand on the gray girl's shoulder and she stopped, her tense face looking worried.

I could only imagine what I looked like to them. Pathetic and terrified? Probably. And seifer? What was a seifer?

The big guy turned to the dragon. "What's going on with him, you know?"

The dragon hadn't moved from where it was, but was staring at me with these huge yellow eyes, not blinking or anything. I shivered. _"He does not remember you. He does not even remember his own name – calling him by it will only confuse him."_

Remember? What did I remember? Anything? Was I supposed to remember something? My jaw twitched, and I realized that my throat was still itching. I reached up to grab it with both hands, trying to feel out what was wrong with me.

"_He cannot remember how to speak."_ The dragon sounded slightly bewildered behind his emotionless growl, and the two people in front of me were looking back from me to the dragon, again and again, like I was some sort of crazy.

Speak? Could I…? I huffed a breath and felt my throat respond, then tried again. There was a sound, and I tried again and it was louder, then louder still. A sigh became a grunt, then an excited yell, and then…

And then… and then… All my thoughts meshed together into a kaleidoscope in my brain, swirling and twirling in a dizzying dance, and my yells got louder and louder – _What's happening to me? Who am I? Where am I? Who are these people? What I supposed to do? What's happening?_

I screamed – like the roar of a strangled, dying animal, I screamed. My hands went from my throat to my head, tearing at my hair, and I closed my eyes as tight as they would shut, and tighter still, trying to block out this terrifying world.

I could hear them through my cries: "Seifer, calm down, you know? It's alright!" "LAND!" "I'm trying! Hold on!" "Hurry up, you know? He's freaking out!" "Hold _on_, I said!... There!"

There were footsteps, tiny little ones, and I could feel someone close by. I tried to move away but I was too scared to open my eyes, and my hands were fisted in my hair and wouldn't move.

And then someone's arms were around me, holding me tight. Their chin was next to my ear, and I was probably deafening them with my screams, but they didn't move away.

_Who are you? Who am I? What's… what's…?_ My head was still kaleidoscoping, and my thoughts were incomprehensible at this point, and through the thickness of my fear I clung to this person, whoever they were, and screamed. I could feel tears streaming down my face and I buried my head into the crook of the person's neck, seeking their warmth and protection.

"It's alright," they said, and it was a girl's voice, softer than the other one's was – the girl in yellow? "You're alright. We're friends; we're here to help you. Don't be afraid."

She went on like this for some time until I couldn't understand her words, but just listened to the sound of her voice. It quieted me, and my screaming stopped, subsiding only to a soft sobbing. My shoulders shook despite how they ached, but her arms encircled them strongly as if they didn't even move.

It took a while, but finally I had become almost silent, simply breathing, eyes wide open. And she still held me, not tightly anymore as if she thought I would run away, but gently, her hands almost floating above me in a zen-like half-embrace. She was fearless and quiet, breaking through my shields in the most tender way possible, and those feelings – the exact opposite feelings of my own – fed into me, until I was quiet, too, although not exactly fearless.

"Better now?" she asked, her voice practically a whisper at my ear.

I was afraid to speak, in case I started screaming again, so I just nodded.

"Good!" She patted my shoulder and leaned back, and I braced myself before lifting my head.

Her green eyes struck me like a slap in the face. _So_ green. Brown hair cut short on her forehead and longer on the sides, flipping up before it reached her shoulders. Her face was sort of round and her eyes sloped down a bit, but she was… pretty. Kinda.

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Seifer's expression was unmatched. His blue-green eyes wide like a puppy's, his lips slightly parted like he didn't care enough to keep his mouth shut, his brow lifted and furrowed in an almost "please don't hurt me" way.

I think I was as surprised to see him as he was to see me, and I had to keep reminding myself that he didn't know who I was. The Seifer that I knew wouldn't have even let me touch him, let alone cry in my arms like he'd been doing for five minutes, at my best guestimate. He was like… a whole new person!

I offered him a lopsided smile. "Hi," I greeted. "I'm Selphie."

OoOoOoOoO

-Seifer-

For a moment, I could only blink. Selphie? Her name was Selphie.

"M-My name's…" I stopped, realizing again that I didn't know my own name.

Her smile faltered for a second. "Seifer," she said. "Your name is Seifer."

Seifer… I wrapped my head around it, whispered it to test the sound: "Seifer." It rolled off my tongue with ease, as if it was something typical I would say, and the name traveled through my mind as if it knew the roads.

My eyes, which had fallen to the floor, rose to find Selphie's again. "Selphie," I said, memorizing it.

Her smile grew and she laughed, hiding behind her hand.

A spark went off in my head and I scowled. "What's funny?" I asked.

Her laughter died off and she shook her head. "Nothing," she replied. "You're just… Nothing." The corner of her mouth lifted in another lopsided grin, and she pushed her knees forward and stood, offering me her hand.

Part of me wanted to push her hand to the side or ignore it, but the more prevalent part laced my fingers around her palm and let her help me up. I was unsteady on my feet and stumbled, grasping her shoulder for support on reflex.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, surprised, and grabbed my arm to keep herself steady. "Careful there." She turned so she was facing the same direction as me and looped her arm around mine. "Can you stand?"

I righted myself, getting the feel for it in my legs. Cringing, I said, "My ankle hurts." Really, everything hurt, but I didn't want to sound whiny, especially after I'd cried in front of these people.

"Oh, right." She brought me over to the chair I'd woken up in, me limping beside her, and lowered me down. Now that the shock had worn off for the most part, the true pain of my injuries was seeping through, and I winced at every movement. Selphie frowned, seeming to think for a moment.

"Here," she said, and laid her hand on my chest. Her fingers were cold against my bare skin and I held back a shudder, but soon her hand grew warm. I looked down and the tips of her fingers were pulsing blue, feeding the strange light into my body and letting it disappear. I would've pushed her away had it not felt so nice, as if the blue was pushing my pain to disintegration.

And when I wasn't even sore anymore, she quietly whispered, "Curaga," and took her hand away, standing up straight again and smiling.

I blinked and sat up, confused. "What did you do?" I asked.

She pursed her lips and hesitated before answering. "Well… It's a little hard to explain."

I raised an eyebrow, offended. "I can handle it."

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Turns out, Seifer really _could_ handle it, although I'm sure he was still scratching his head. I explained what GFs were, how they junctioned, and how they allowed their host to use magic. Of course, through that I had to explain that Bahamut was a GF, that he was junctioned to Seifer, and that Seifer had chosen to have his memory wiped.

He sat through the explanation in silence, only asking questions occasionally and nodding at the answer. Finally, when I had finished, he was silent for a moment, then stood, saying he was going to go think, and left the control room.

The four of us – me, Fujin, Raijin, and Bahamut – stood still in the control room after he left. We were all slammed to the ground by the gravity of it all.

"Seifer…" Raijin said. "He's not even Seifer anymore, you know?"

"Don't say that!" Fujin protested.

"WHAAA-?" My mouth hung slack. Fujin could talk normally? Since when?

Ignoring me, Fujin continued. "He's still Seifer, he's just a little lost. We've got to be there for him, Rai! He can't go through this alone."

Raijin was already nodding before she finished. "Yeah! He's still our friend, and we're still his friends! His _best_ friends, you know?"

Fujin smiled – actually _smiled!_ This day was getting crazier by the minute. "Let's give him some time to get his head on straight, and then tell him where we stand."

And then, as if I wasn't there, the two of them headed out of the control room, leaving me and Bahamut more than slightly bewildered.

I looked at the dragon. "Did you know…?" I started.

"_I had no idea,"_ he replied, shaking his head.

"Good to know I wasn't the only one."

OoOoOoOoO

-Selphie-

Squall stared at me with such an unemotional face that I had no idea what to make of it. Normally I wasn't too shabby at reading people, even Squall, but this was a whole new level of blankness and it made me nervous. I was practically squirming in my seat.

Finally, I broke. "Well, say something, already!"

Squall shifted his weight to his right leg and hung his head, sighing. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Anything!"

I'd just told him and the rest of the old save-the-world group – Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, and Zell – what had happened to Seifer. He was in his dorm room now, with Fujin and Raijin keeping him company, since I didn't want everyone to see him yet in case things took a turn for the worse. I wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but the possibility of it made me nervous.

Rinoa was sitting on the Headmaster's desk – I'd called a meeting, and Cid was more than happy to let us use his office for something involving Seifer (I wasn't sure why Cid always favored him, but I don't think anyone really knew) – while Squall stood by her side. Her hand was on the edge of the desk near his, and she kept eyeing them, back and forth. They were cute, but still getting used to being in a relationship. Rinoa never wanted to push him too much, but sometimes it seemed like Squall was too aloof around her. But then, when he thought no one was looking, he'd take her hand, and she'd smile a bright smile, and everything would be just fine.

Quistis was standing at attention, still unable to fully let go of her rigid instructor ways. The Trepies, the group of girls who idolized her, had disbanded, and now were just good friends with Quistis. She seemed out of place sometimes with the new crowd, but most of the time looked like she was having fun. I was happy for her.

Zell was leaning against the wall by the door, a hot dog in his hand and a soda in the other. My meeting had interrupted his between-lunch-and-dinner meal. I was amazed at how he still managed to stay fit and in shape: whenever he wasn't eating, he was at the gym. But the library was becoming a common place to find him, too, lately; Irvine said he'd been hanging out with a girl with pigtails a lot.

Irvine was behind me, his hand now on my shoulder to try to calm me down. He and I were…. Well, we certainly were _something_. I wouldn't call us a couple, not yet at least, but I felt something with him. He was charming, fun, made me laugh… Although sometimes he was difficult, I liked being around him.

"Come on, Selph," Irvine said, "there's no need to get all riled up."

"But Squall isn't saying anything and I'm already freaked out and he isn't helping," I whined, all my words coming out at a run.

Squall ran his hand through his hair, hardly flinching when Rinoa finally grabbed his hand, smiling to herself. "What do you want me to say?" he asked. "That I'm glad? I'm not."

"I don't want you to be _glad_," I protested.

"Of course you don't," Rinoa said forcefully, giving Squall a hard stare and squeezing his hand. "Seifer's practically one of us; we can't be glad that something bad's happened to him."

"One of us?" Zell repeated incredulously. "That guy's as much 'one of us' as a tiger has spots!" A few chunks of hot dog flew out of his mouth when he pronounced 'spots,' and I stepped out of range.

"He's different now!" I said, balling my hands into fists. I didn't like this. Seifer was our classmate, and kind of our partner in a way. Even though he tried to help Ultimecia, he did it because of his dreams. Weren't we all motivated by our dreams back then? How different were we, really?

"Selphie's right," Quistis chimed in. "We can't keep blaming Seifer for what he did in the past. We've all done things we're not proud of."

"But trying to destroy the world?" Zell argued.

"Zell…" Rinoa chided.

"What?"

I turned to Zell. "Come on, Zell. Give him a chance? He doesn't even remember the stuff he did; he doesn't even know who we are! This is his chance to kind of… start over."

Zell stared at me for a moment, his eyes hard, before finally giving in. "Fine," he groaned in defeat.

I practically squealed in delight, jumping up and down and grabbing Irvine's hand probably harder than he was comfortable with. "Great! So everyone's on board?" I got nothing but nods. "I'll go get him, then!"

I hopped, skipped, and jumped to the elevator, but the doors were already opening. They parted to reveal Seifer, flanked by Raijin and Fujin, in jeans and a graphic t-shirt. It was strange to see him in such casual clothes – I'd only ever seen him in his white outfit with the trench coat.

"Seifer!" I exclaimed, jumping back as he came into the room, followed closely by Fujin and Raijin. "You're here already; great!"

His eyes were looking around warily, from person to person to person, and I wished for just a moment that I could be inside his head.

OoOoOoOoO

-Seifer-

The room was big and there was red and gold everywhere. Selphie was there, smiling like before, and that comforted me a little.

But the rest of these people… I didn't get good feelings from them.

There was a guy with brown hair, kinda long and in his face, all serious looking. Just looking at him made me mad. I noticed he had a gunblade, like the one Fujin and Raijin said I had. They'd explained some stuff to me about who I used to be, what I used to do. Not totally everything was cleared up – but I didn't want it to be. I'd wanted to forget for a reason; I didn't want to screw it all up again. Anyway, seeing this kid's gunblade made me want to fight him, partly to see if I could still use mine, but mostly because I didn't like that stupid look in his eyes.

The girl next to him was really pretty, like _dang_. Big dark brown eyes and black hair on a pale face, with some light brown-ish streaks in there, and dressed all in blue with some crazy black boots. But she was holding that brown-haired guy's hand, so that thought was gone.

Then there was some kid with a blonde mohawk and a crazy tattoo on his face full of food. He looked like a hamster stuffing its cheeks. I wanted to make fun of him.

Ooh, this room was full of pretty girls, wasn't it? There was a blonde girl with glasses and icy blue eyes wearing some orange dress thing. A whip rested on her hip. My brow raised at that, although I wasn't quite sure why. But no matter how pretty she was, I wanted to scowl when I looked at her.

And then next to Selphie, a little behind her, was some pretty boy with long brown hair in a ponytail and a cowboy hat with blue eyes. Was he… was he holding Selphie's hand? My teeth clenched. I didn't like him.

No one was saying anything. I didn't like the silence, with all these people that I didn't like for some reason, so I stood up straight, squaring my shoulders – I saw Selphie grin again – and said, "I'm Seifer."

I was still getting used to saying that. I said it to introduce myself to them, even though according to Rai and Fuu – as they told me to call them – they already knew me, but it was kind of a confirmation. In front of these people, I was pledging myself to be this person, to be Seifer, whoever that was.

The hamster guy snorted, and I glared straight at him. The blonde girl looked like she was about to take her whip on him, but I didn't wait. I stepped right up to him – I was nearly a foot taller than him, short kid – and looked down on him. Everyone was silent.

"You got a problem with my name?" I asked, my voice ringing loud in a quiet room.

The kid looked like he was getting ready to fight me or something, fists clenched like his teeth – he'd finally swallowed his food – but then he looked behind me. I followed his eyes and found Selphie, giving him a hard look and a frown with crossed arms. She was like a little kid.

I turned back to the hamster guy and he relaxed. "No," he said, but it was forced.

I stepped back. "Alright." Looking around the room to everyone else, I asked, "What are your names?"

They ran down the line. The black-haired girl's name was Rinoa Heartilly, and her boyfriend's name was Squall Leonhart. I still wanted to fight him. Hamster guy was named Zell Dincht. His name sounded like fincht, and even though that probably wasn't a word I thought it was funny. The blonde girl was Quistis Trepe, and she said it all strict like a teacher. Maybe that was why I didn't like her so much. The pretty boy was Irvine Kinneas, and _yes_, he was holding Selphie's hand, and I definitely didn't like him.

I wouldn't tell anybody, but I was feeling protective of Selphie, kinda like how Bahamut was feeling protective of me. She was this little thing, all cute and helpless… She needed looking after. It was kinda my way of thanking her, too. Since she protected me when I was scared, I'd protect her.

I looked over them again, matching the faces with the names. I didn't say it was nice to meet them, because it wasn't. I had these predisposed feelings to them that I didn't understand, and I knew that they felt something for me.

"What do you think of me?" I asked them.

They seemed struck by the question, and Selphie stammered a little off to the side. "We all like you, Seifer," she said.

"No," I refused. "I want to hear what you really think. Then I can tell you what I think. Sound good?"

No one talked. I was starting to get ticked – how hard is it to answer a simple question, really? – when Squall spoke up.

"We hated you." His eyes were as hard as his voice.

I smirked. "Good, 'cause I don't like you, either. I want to fight you, and you wanna fight me, too, don't you?" From the look in his eyes, I knew I was right.

I turned to Rinoa. "I've got nothing on you, but you're cute." Then Zell. "You look like a hamster, and you're short." Then Quistis. "You're pretty, but you piss me off."

Then came Irvine. I turned my body fully to see him and glared right into his eyes. For a moment I was silent; I hardly knew what to say. Finally, I said what first came to my head: "I'm watching you." It sounded lame, but it was the truth – I'd have my eyes on him when he was near Selphie. I didn't get a good feeling from him.

And then my eyes came down on Selphie, looking small like a kitten, and I could tell she hadn't planned for this first meeting to go like this. I wanted to apologize for screwing it up, but I didn't. Instead, I gave her just a tiny smile for half a second, hoping she'd catch it and feel better.

Then I turned back, facing everyone. "I don't know what I did to make you hate me," I started, "and I don't wanna know. I forgot for a reason, didn't I? But I'll say I'm sorry anyway."

Quistis spoke up. "You're sorry?"

"Yeah." Geez, I must've been a pretty big jerk if it was this big of a deal that I was apologizing. "So keep hating me if you want, but I'll try not to hate you guys. Just don't make it hard for me, alright?"

Silence again for a while, then Squall took a tiny step forward. "Alright," he said with a small nod.

"Alright then." I turned back to the elevator, but stopped when Squall called my name.

He looked me in the eyes and said, "Good luck."

I smirked. "I'll fight you sometime," I said. "That's a promise."


End file.
